Game apparatus.



H. W. HELLIKER. GAMB APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. a, 1912.

ATUH/VEYS H. W. HELLIKBR.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 8, 1912.

1,064,480. Patented June 10, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTR j 4 By TTORNEVS :OLUMBIA PLANMRAPl-g C0.. WASHINUTGN. D. c.

H. W. HEL'LIKER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1912.

LOASO. Patented June 1o, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

mon/vers COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPM C0..\vASmNGTON, n. c.

narran sfrafrns rarnxfr ernten HERBERT WILLIAM HELLIKER, OF OAKLAND,CALIFORNIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

incenso.

Application led November 8, 1912.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, IIERBERT lV. I-IELLI- xnn, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain,

and a resident of Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and Improved Game Apparatus, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

rI`his invention relates to game apparatus or devices for amusement andhas particular reference to an apparatus, the operation or performanceof which involves the exercise of skill as to one part thereof, andrelates to a game of chance at ano-ther part thereof.

Among the objects of the invention is to produce an apparatus which willhave peculiar attractiveness for that class of players who are given tothe operation of gaming devices which involve more or less physicalexercise and which are attractive also because of the elements of chanceinvolved, all of which will be understood as this descriptionprogresses.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter bemore fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawingsaccompanying this specification in which like characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 isa longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a partialvertical section and face view of the target portion of the device onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view in detail; Fig. 4is a view of the indicator portion of the device on a planecorresponding to that of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinalsection of a detail of one of the card holders; Fig. 6 is a transversesection of the same on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a detailshowing the manner of mounting certain guide pulleys.

In carrying out this invention in a preferred embodiment, I provide acasing or framework 10 of any suitable size or construction, the samebeing adapted to support a series of targets 11 and other partsassociated therewith. The targets 11 are each mounted upon a plunger 12operating from the front of the casing through the front wall thereofand connected pivotally at its rear end with an arm 13 whose other endis mounted upon a horizontal support 14 shown in the form of a rodsupported at Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10,1913.

Serial No. 730,163.

its ends upon the side walls 15 of the casing. The targets 11 may bevariously arranged but are shown as five in number and arranged in ahorizontal row along the front of the casing and are adapted to bethrown at from a distance of, say, from thirty to fty feet, and struckby balls or the like from the hands of the players, there being providedat any convenient place, preferably adjacent the players position, anindicator 16 adapted to operate in accordance with t-he targets struck.

As a means for connecting the indicator with the several targetplungers, I provide for each an arm 13 and a cable 17 attached at oneend to said arm near the plunger and at the other end to a resilientmember or spring 18, said connection being continued by a cable 19 whoseopposite end is connected at 20 to an eye-bolt 2O extending through thefront part of the casing near the bottom and one corner thereof. Thecable 17 is guided over a pulley 21 so as to change its direction fromthe arm downwardly toward the bottom of the casing.

Each cable 19 likewise is directed over pulv leys 22 and 23, whereby7all of the eye-bolt connections emerge from the front wall of the casingcomparatively close together and in practically the same horizontalplane, as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 7, a preferred manner ofsupporting the pulleys 21 comprises a substantially llat sheet metalplate 24 which extends horizontal practically the full length of thecasing closely adjacent the top and secured in place by brackets 25 orthe like. Said plate 24 is slitted and punched or struck up so as toform a pair of parallel ears 26 in which each of the pulleys 21 isjournaled. The plate 24, furthermore, is slotted at 13 for theaccommodation of the arms 13 as they oscillate around the axis of theshaft 14 when the targets 11 are struck. The end 20 of the aforesaideye-bolt has connected to it a flexible member or cable 27 relating tothe indicator 16, whereby a record of suitable nature is made upon eachreciprocation of one of the targets.

So far as has now been described, all of the targets 11 and theirconnections operate independently of one another, but I provide a mastertarget 11L connected to a plunger 12a and suitably supported upon abracket 28 at the top of the casing. The rear end of the last mentionedplunger is pivotally connected to an arm 13a whose lower end is pivotedwithin the casing at 14tL upon a stationary support 29 near the lowerrear corner of the casing. A spring 30 is suitably connected to the arm.13a so as to normally hold the target 112l in the forward position shownin Fig. 1. Said arm 13, furthermore, is guided in slots 10l in the topof the casing and 13 in .the aforesaid `plate 24.

In Fig. 3 is shown an actuator 31 com prising a plate 32 having a seriesof five parallel slots 33 adjacent its upper edge through which theaforesaid eye-bolts 2O pass, as shown also in Figs. 1 and 2. Saidactuator is pivoted at its lower edge at 34 to the casing bottom and hasan upwardly extending bail having pivotal connection by means of a link3G to the afo-resaid arm 13a. rlhe purpose of the master target is toproduce simultaneous' operation of all of the eye-bolts 20 and ltheirconnections with the indicator as the result of a single impact with themaster target. This result is effected b y virtue of the engagementbetween the actuator and the several eye-bolt connections 20 of theeye-bolts. It will, of course, be understood, however, that when themaster target and actuator are not disturbed, an operation of one ormore of the other targets will not disturb the remaining targets 11, theeye-bolts 2O considered individually operating freely rearwardly throughthe actuator.

rlhe indicator herein illustrated and which I prefer to employ inconnection with vthe aforesaid target connection comprises a casing ofany suitable size or configuration including preferably a serios ofrollers 37, shown as live in number, one for each target 11. Saidrollers 87 are shown as arranged in a row and preferably in axialalinement in the upper portion of the indicator casing. Said rollers aredesigned to carry indicating means of suitable character which arereadable through corresponding windows 16 adjacent the front part ofsaid casing. Each of said rollers is provided with operating mechanismfrom. one of the aforesaid target connections. Referring particularly toFig. 1, such operating mechanism comprises a gear wheel ,88 having chainconnection 39 with a corresponding sprocket wheel 40 journaled upon ashaft 41 extending parallel to the indicator shaft 42. A. ratchet wheel43 is associated with said sprocket wheel 40 and is adapted vto beintermittently rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows on Fig.1 `by means of a lever 44 journaled also upon said shaft 41, theconnection between the lever and the ratchet wheel being through aspringpressed pawl 45. Said lever 44 is held in normal position againsta suitable stop 46 by means of a spring 47. The aforesaid `directioncircumferentially.

suitably protected fro-m interference from ,u

unauthorized parties. It will be understood, therefore, that when any ofthe eye-' bolts 2O are operated, drawing the cables 27 rearwardly, thelevers 44 will cause the ratchet wheels to rotate through an arc of acircle in the direction indicated in Fig. 1 with a correspo-ndingoperation and rotation `of the chains 39 and rollers 37. 'The levers 44,however, will immediately .be restored to normal position by .thesprings 47.

Each roller 37 is constructed substantially as follows: The body of theroller may be made of wood or other suit-able material of substantiallycylindrical form and provided on its surface with a series oflongitudinal parallel grooves 37. Into each groove is fixed a holder 49adapted to hold a car-d 50 or other means to be brought into viewthrough the windows 16. The holder 49 comprises astationary member 49and a member 49 hinged or pivoted thereto. The member 49 preferablycomprises a sheet metal strip bent upon itself betweenwhich parts thecard 50 is adapted to be slip Jed and held by friction or the additionale ect of one `or more pins 51. ln practice l prefer to .provide eachroller with vfifty-two grooves 37 and .provide acco-rdingly a full pack.of .playing cards for the respective holders 49, the faces of the cardsall being placed in one At the end of the roller and coperating with theends of the stationary members 49 of the holders are clamps or `bands 52serving to positively secure ,the card holders to the roller, the cards,however, being subject to change or renewal whenever necessary. Eachroller, furthermore, is preferably mounted for `free rotation uponspindles 58 by means lof antifriction rollers 54 carried in cups 55seated in the ends of the roller Aand secured in place by means of disksor plates 56 which serve also to prevent longitudinal displacement ofthe card holders by overlapping the ends of the stationary members 49,as shown in Fig. 5. l/Vhile each card carried by its clamp member 49 ispivoted for free movement with respect kto the stationary member 49, Iprefer `to use a spring or other cushion 57 whose tendency is to liftthe card as it rises at the rear of the roller and which also serves togive thecard a snap or impulse forwardly Aand downwardly around itsvpivot when the roller upon rotation causes :such card to pass anabutment 58 at the topofithe indicator casing, whereby the card neXtadjacent to said abutment and held thereby will be the one presented toview.

Vith the foregoing description of the mechanism, the game may be playedsubstantially as follows, although it is to be understood that the meansor directions for playing, as well as the specific construction of theapparatus, may be varied to considerable extent without departing fromthe spirit of the invention hereinafter claimed. Upon striking themaster target and reciprocating its plunger 12a, the actuator 35 willcause rotation of all o-f the rollers 37 through the connections 27.Such rotation of the rollers will cause five cards to be presented toview, and if, as indicated for instance in Fig. Ll, three of them shouldbe aces, the player may undertake to complete the suit by striking oneor the other of the targets 11 corresponding to the two odd cards beforehim. If, then, he is skilful enough to strike the proper targets he willstand a chance, by operating the rollers connected thereto, to completehis suit. In short, the operator will be free to throw at any of thetargets at any time, using his best judgment as to the proper targets toaim at. In some instances the operator may desire to rotate all of therollers 37 preliminary to throwing at any of the targets, for thepurpose of presenting all new cards to view. Any suitable means maytherefore be provided, such as shown at 59, whereby the operator maypositively cause the actuator 35 to operate.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

l. The herein described game apparatus comprising a series of similarlymounted targets, an indicator having individual indicating means andconnections therefrom to the aforesaid targets respectively, a mastertarget, and connections between said master target and the indicatormechanisms whereby all of the indicatormechanisms may be operatedsimultaneously from the master target.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination of an indicator comprising aseries of indicator mechanisms, a series of targets, connections betweenthe indicator mechanisms and the several targets respectively wherebythe operation of any target will affect its indicator mechanism, andmeans for actuating all of the indicator mechanisms simultaneouslyindependent-ly of the aforesaid targets.

3. In a game apparatus, the combination of a series of plungers, aseries of indicator mechanisms, means connecting the plungers and saidmechanisms respectively in pairs whereby the operationof any of saidplungers will correspondingly affect their indicator mechanismsindependently of the remaining plungers and their indicator mechanisms,and means operating independently of said plungers for operating all ofsaid indicator mechanisms simultaneously.

4. In a game apparatus, the combination of a series of plungers, aseries of indicator mechanisms, means connecting the indicatormechanisms to the plungers each to each, said connecting means includingeye-bolts, an actuator throughl which said eye-bolts may be individuallyoperated, and means to actuate the actuator to cause simultaneousactuation of all of the eye-bolts and the indicator mechanisms affectedthereby.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT WILLIAM IIELLIKER.

Witnesses:

J. F. STREET, MARGARETHA S. GILLIAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

